By amalia deloney, Grassroots Policy Director at the Center for Media Justice. If the purchase of T-Mobile by AT&T is approved by federal regulators, it will be a disaster for all mobile phone users– especially for people of color and low-income communities in rural and urban areas.
If the purchase of T-Mobile by AT&T is approved by federal regulators, it will be a disaster for all mobile phone users– especially for people of color and low-income communities in rural and urban areas–who depend upon mobile phones, often as their only gateway to the Internet. In conjunction with our August "Month of Action" against the AT&T – T-Mobile merger, the Center for Media Justice, Free Press, and New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative have released a new grassroots policy brief, "AT&T & T-Mobile Merger: A Bad Deal for Communities of Color and the Poor."
AT&T has been spinning a fairytale about the T-Mobile takeover, and how it will magically create jobs, access, and opportunities for all, but we know that mergers almost always lead to job loss–and this case is no exception. As many as 20,000 jobs will be lost by T-Mobile employees – approximately 48% of whom are people of color. And consumers will be left with fewer mobile phone choices and higher phone bills. This is not a fairytale, it's a nightmare!
This merger will:
- Cost thousands of jobs
- Decrease the affordability of mobile services
- Reduce choices for consumers
- Negatively impact Internet adoption for communities of color and the poor
- Inhibit community engagement and democratic participation
In short, this merger is a democracy and jobs killer!
We encourage everyone to speak out against the AT&T takeover, join us as we continue to voice our concerns to the FCC and the Department of Justice. Mo Mergers = Mo Problems for all of us.
In Solidarity,
amalia deloney
